Integrating research into practice

Societal benefit in focus

The implementation of research findings in practice is only the last step in a long process. Social innovation already starts much earlier on: in the minds of the researchers. Because first and foremost, social innovation requires scientists who want to make contributions to socially relevant topics not just within but also outside of academia. The ZSI study demonstrates that this is often the case. It shows that 65% of all surveyed grant recipients are motivated by the prospect of their research contributing to societal improvement. Three quarters of them even said they were “very motivated”. It is clear that the majority of researchers take the social benefits beyond their scientific field into consideration. And often they do so right from the outset, when designing their research project.

Silvestro Micera’s research: prostheses that enable you to feel

“Helping people has always been my primary motivation,” says Silvestro Micera, Professor of Neuroengineering at EPFL. Together with his team, he develops novel prostheses for people who have lost limbs. They are novel because the people affected can not only move them but also feel with them. As part of an SNSF-funded project, Micera has been the first to develop a hand prosthesis that makes it possible to feel temperatures. Artificial sensors in the prosthesis send electronic stimuli to the remaining nerve endings in the arm. The electronic signal is then translated into a signal that the brain can understand accordingly. The leg prostheses that Micera has been researching work with a similar technology, enabling sensory information to be transmitted. This offers significant relief for patients. For example, they are able to walk faster and more safely, and there is a demonstrable reduction in pain. Silvestro Micera was in close contact with the patients throughout the research process so that he could best respond to their needs. His project led to the founding of a company that is working on the production and distribution of such leg prostheses for many patients.

Link to Silvestro Micera’s SNSF-funded projects

Silvestro Micera’s research: prostheses that enable you to feel

“Helping people has always been my primary motivation,” says Silvestro Micera, Professor of Neuroengineering at EPFL. Together with his team, he develops novel prostheses for people who have lost limbs. They are novel because the people affected can not only move them but also feel with them. As part of an SNSF-funded project, Micera has been the first to develop a hand prosthesis that makes it possible to feel temperatures. Artificial sensors in the prosthesis send electronic stimuli to the remaining nerve endings in the arm. The electronic signal is then translated into a signal that the brain can understand accordingly. The leg prostheses that Micera has been researching work with a similar technology, enabling sensory information to be transmitted. This offers significant relief for patients. For example, they are able to walk faster and more safely, and there is a demonstrable reduction in pain. Silvestro Micera was in close contact with the patients throughout the research process so that he could best respond to their needs. His project led to the founding of a company that is working on the production and distribution of such leg prostheses for many patients.

Link to Silvestro Micera’s SNSF-funded projects

Collaboration

Since socially innovative projects aim to have a societal impact, people who are not working in academia are often integrated into the research process early on. That was the case with Silvestro Micera: for his project, he was in contact with patients, hospital staff and business partners. The study also investigated such transdisciplinary collaborations. Around a quarter of the respondents stated that in their projects – to a greater or lesser extent – they had involved people from public administration and governmental organizations, welfare and educational institutions and businesses, as well as individual citizens. 15% worked together with NGO. Media representatives were the largest non-academic group the respondents collaborated with – this applied in 34% of cases. According to the study, the non-academic groups most frequently took on a consultative role. Participation took place not only at the end of the project but also often in earlier phases.

Christian Brühwiler’s research: better communication of teaching skills

Teachers don’t just need good subject-specific knowledge. Pedagogic and social skills are also essential. These help future teachers in challenging interpersonal situations and interactions with students. Christian Brühwiler, Vice-Rector of the St. Gallen University of Teacher Education, addresses the question of how pedagogic skills can be better conveyed during teacher training. “As a first step, it’s important to know how to measure such skills,” says Brühwiler. Together with his team, he has developed a test for this as part of an SNSF-funded project. He works with videos showing various teaching situations. The teachers are then asked to describe how they would act in the situation presented. In this way, valuable information about their pedagogic skills can be obtained. The test results are an important basis for improving teacher training. They help developing concepts as to how teaching staff can acquire pedagogic skills more easily. And it is not just the teachers who benefit from better training: in their everyday work, future students are the ultimate benefactors.

Link to Christian Brühwiler’s SNSF-funded projects

Christian Brühwiler’s research: better communication of teaching skills

Teachers don’t just need good subject-specific knowledge. Pedagogic and social skills are also essential. These help future teachers in challenging interpersonal situations and interactions with students. Christian Brühwiler, Vice-Rector of the St. Gallen University of Teacher Education, addresses the question of how pedagogic skills can be better conveyed during teacher training. “As a first step, it’s important to know how to measure such skills,” says Brühwiler. Together with his team, he has developed a test for this as part of an SNSF-funded project. He works with videos showing various teaching situations. The teachers are then asked to describe how they would act in the situation presented. In this way, valuable information about their pedagogic skills can be obtained. The test results are an important basis for improving teacher training. They help developing concepts as to how teaching staff can acquire pedagogic skills more easily. And it is not just the teachers who benefit from better training: in their everyday work, future students are the ultimate benefactors.

Link to Christian Brühwiler’s SNSF-funded projects

Where the research results are applied

Most of the study participants stated that their research results have led to an improvement in processes, products or service offerings for the general population. For over a quarter of the surveyed grant recipients, their research was applied in public administration and governmental organizations. 25% stated that their research results were used in businesses, and a similar number mentioned that they were used by welfare or educational institutions. In 20% of cases, the research results led to innovations for specific social groups, while in 15% of cases they were implemented in NGO.

Petra Hüppi’s research: music for premature babies

For Petra Hüppi, the hospital is the place where her research results are put into practice. She is Professor of Pediatrics in the Development and Growth division of the University Hospital of Geneva Medical Center and specialises in brain development in premature infants. Since the brains of premature babies did not have enough time to mature sufficiently in the womb, developmental disorders such as learning or concentration difficulties often occur later on. Premature babies are usually exposed to high levels of stress after birth because often they have to stay in incubators in the neonatal units. Petra Hüppi has turned to music as a way of easing this stress and thus preventing later developmental disorders. With the help of musician Andreas Vollenweider, she wanted to find out which musical instruments have a particularly relaxing effect on babies. Based on this knowledge, Vollenweider then composed three pieces for her SNSF research project that aimed to help babies in three situations: falling asleep, waking up, and during active wakefulness. And the music did indeed have an effect. Those babies who heard the music exhibited fewer adverse effects associated with prematurity, and certain brain regions matured faster and better. If you want to listen to the music, it is available at the following link: Music in premature infants enhances high-level cognitive brain networks

Link to Petra Hüppi’s SNSF-funded projects

Petra Hüppi’s research: music for premature babies

For Petra Hüppi, the hospital is the place where her research results are put into practice. She is Professor of Pediatrics in the Development and Growth division of the University Hospital of Geneva Medical Center and specialises in brain development in premature infants. Since the brains of premature babies did not have enough time to mature sufficiently in the womb, developmental disorders such as learning or concentration difficulties often occur later on. Premature babies are usually exposed to high levels of stress after birth because often they have to stay in incubators in the neonatal units. Petra Hüppi has turned to music as a way of easing this stress and thus preventing later developmental disorders. With the help of musician Andreas Vollenweider, she wanted to find out which musical instruments have a particularly relaxing effect on babies. Based on this knowledge, Vollenweider then composed three pieces for her SNSF research project that aimed to help babies in three situations: falling asleep, waking up, and during active wakefulness. And the music did indeed have an effect. Those babies who heard the music exhibited fewer adverse effects associated with prematurity, and certain brain regions matured faster and better. If you want to listen to the music, it is available at the following link: Music in premature infants enhances high-level cognitive brain networks

Link to Petra Hüppi’s SNSF-funded projects

Bringing research into society

The study shows that researchers use a variety of channels to make their research results visible outside the scientific community and to make it more accessible to a broader public. This strengthens the links between academia and society and brings research into the lives of many people. Used in 79% of the cases, the institution’s own websites were the most frequent dissemination channels. A little less than half of the surveyed researchers used traditional media such as television or newspapers for communication, while around 37% discussed their work on social media. Approximately 40% of researchers shared their research results at events for a broad, non-academic audience.

The role of social innovation in science

Social innovation plays a role in SNSF-funded projects. But the study by ZSI Vienna also shows that research results often remain within the academic domain and are not directly put into practice through social innovation. Yet, this does not mean research has failed its purpose, as new findings were discovered and important experiences were gained. Research is continually evolving and is oriented towards long-term development. In many cases, we simply do not know what will lead to social innovation in the future.

However, the study clearly demonstrates that social innovation is an important source of motivation: researchers have future societal benefits in mind and are motivated to contribute to the common good. To this end, they often collaborate with partners outside of academia. In addition, the researchers use a variety of dissemination channels to make their research results accessible to a broad public. It is clear that social innovation plays a role in science and for researchers – even if not every project can directly lead to a social change.

Additional Information

Social Innovation study by the ZSI
SNSF news on the Social Innovation study

Data, text and code of this data story are available on Github and archived on Zenodo.
DOI: 10.46446/datastory.social-innovations